Rope Access
Common Questions

We wish to film in a helicopter with the doors open - do we need a Rope Access Supervisor to make the cameraman safe?
What you need is a person competent enough to make sure that the harness / belt used, the safety line, any attachments and the anchor points are suitable. Although preferable, they need not be a qualified Rope Access Supervisor (i.e. IRATA qualified), provided that the restraint system used is to an established and appropriate safe system of work - this may be the helicopter pilot themselves or one of your crew. If in doubt, ask BBC Safety for advice.

 

We want to set up an abseil off the roof of Studio 1 at TV Centre for charity, and invite staff and their children to get involved - who should we get to set this up for us?
Apart from the preparation of the location (e.g. scaffold for access platform and anchors), this is a relatively straightforward abseil set up. You could either use an IRATA qualified Rope Access Supervisor (check www.irata.org/) or a Mountaineering Instructor (one who holds the Mountaineering Instructors Award / Certificate and Single Pitch Award - check www.thebmc.co.uk). You should discuss your plans with ORM and the building managers (FM) as early as possible.  Also, make sure the activity is properly insured by discussing it with BBC Insurance.

 

We want to film a current affairs story about the Brazilian rain forest and would like to get some shots from the forest canopy - how should we do this?
If you can, use archive shots or location shots from ground level. However, if getting new shots at canopy level can't be avoided, you must engage the services of a qualified Rope Access Specialist, and one who has experience of working in trees (though not an arboreal specialist). The high risks involved in such an activity, including getting a presenter / cameraman without rope access skills high up 40m up a tree, will mean you will need to engage an IRATA Level 3 Supervisor from the UK and get them and their equipment to the location a considerable undertaking. Speak with BBC Safety.

 

We're planning a stunt where a person is seen to fall off the roof of a tall building and we'd like a close up shot from over the edge - there is no window cleaning cradle and it's too high for a cherry picker. Could rope access techniques provide a suitable camera platform?
Yes they can. You must appoint an IRATA Level 3 Rope Access Supervisor, who will need to recce the site and discuss with the premises owners such things as availability and suitability of anchor points, roof loadings and equipment access arrangements. Your cameraman will need a head for heights and may require some prior training from the Rope Access Supervisor (e.g. to have the ability to abseil down onto the platform and ascend from it safely).

 

Is it a legal requirement for our riggers to wear fall arrest equipment when rigging lighting on concert venue ceilings?
The law requires you to use work equipment to minimise the risk of a fall occurring, and if this is not possible, to take measures to minimise the distance and consequence of any fall (i.e. fall arrest measures). If the rigging can be done from the ground (by lowering trusses) or safely from above (from a well-protected high-level gantry walkway), then these should be used and there is no need to employ fall arrest techniques. However, wherever there is a significant risk of a fall occurring, fall arrest measures must always be used. Falls from height represent a significant proportion of those people killed at work each year in the UK.